This article has missed out one very important achievement of Meles Zenawi. A cursory look of Ethiopian unity prior to 1991 reveals a fragile unity: a unity by name only where equality of Ethiopia's diverse peoples were trampled over. The result was the creation of an Ethiopia that was the mother of the chosen few and the step-mother of the condemed many. This in turn led the nation into a cycle of civil war between those Ethiopians struggling to defend their identity, culture and language on the one hand, and those who forcibly wanted to impose the will of what they - and they only - regard as fitting the 'Ethiopian straight jacket.'
In 1991 EPDRF under the leadership of pragmatist Meles Zenawi
launched what no state in Africa dared to do. With the consent of a democratically elected Constituent Assembly, the new Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia gave a new lease of life to the very concept of Ethiopian unity. The new Ethiopia is today - for the first time in its history - a veritable union of free and equal peoples, nations and nationalities. So there is no need for any cessationalist group to wage war by using poor Ethiopians as fodder of internicine war, because Article 39 has empowered nations and nationalities to opt out from the Ethiopian union by means of a refurrendum should that be their choice. That is why Meles is waging war on the so-called Oromo Liberation Front and the Ogaden Liberation Front. These are groups whose aims and goals runs counter to the will and aspirations of the very people they claim to represent.
On the other hand, some items in the commentary hasn't been fully studied by the writer, which has resulted in the article being somewhat tendentious. The post 2005 Election debacle was caused by the sinister machinations of liberal democrats who tried to ape the Orange Revolution of a former Soviet satelite to mug the democratic process in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Police were facing no peaceful demonstration with demonstrators clearly seen using hand grenades and engaging on a looting spree. How would the Metropolitan Police have reacted under such circumstances, if similar events were to unravel in London? EPDRF supporters are sick and tired of double standards being applied. Meles' committment to the advancement of pluralistic democracy is as strong a belief as the commitment that drove him and his likes to wage a 17 year arduous struggle against oppression.
Ethiopia is safe and sound with Meles at the the helm of a developmental state.

I am highly doubtful of the report stating Tigray having food shortage. Despite being the least food secure area in the country, it hasn't seen food shortage since he grabbed power. That is mainly because his ethnic based politics will backfire against him. 96% of his highest military post are filled by Tigreans(sad and ugly in 2009 but true). That is where he gets his Agazis(Ethnic Tigrean National Guards).

It is obvious he denies it right away bacuase, first, there is always enough food reserve in Tigray on expense of other ethiopians, second, he make sure this never happen, even if, it means he has to bust from his ethnic bussiness conglomerat(EFFORT)-a multi-billion dollar branch of aid-money laundering scheme which his wife is the chair person

I did not understand how Meles Zenawi can be credited for the low crime rate. The Ethiopia I grew up in has always had low crime rates. I never had trouble walking down a street in a moon lit midnight since I was old enough to do so in the 60's. The low crime credit should go to the almost two millenia old Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the North and Islam in the South. Not Meles Zenawi, who should be held responsible for killing 200 innocent people and wounding 750.

This is an extraordinary article about a truly dreadful person responsible for a great deal of human misery.

I'd only add to what other commenters have said by noting that he is not just a tyrant, he's a warmonger. You don't mention, for instance, why the Eritreans might wish him gone. You don't note the illegal and aggressive nature of his Bush-prompted Somalian foray. And you don't mention how much of the country's meagre resources are squandered on "defence".

I had hoped the days were long past when the Western press praised monsters simply because they repressed the US' enemy-du-jour too.

The world have been witnessing a murderer regime in Ethiopia that has been terrorizing its own people for the past 19 years. The regime has been arresting, torturing, and killing its citizens without any accountability whatsoever. Politicians, entrepreneurs, students, artists, philanthropists, journalist, teachers, tourists, etc. have been arrested in different occasions simply because they have different political views or because they have criticized the regime. Mothers and kids were killed in an indiscriminate murder and justice has not been served. So many citizens are in prison with out due process for no other reason than supporting opposition political parties.

As President Obama said on his inauguration speech, the Ethiopian government that has been arresting and killing its political opponents to clinch power should realize that it is standing on the wrong side of history. Repression, imprisonment, torture of political prisoners, and violation of the most fundamental human rights of people could only lead to destruction.

PM Meles Zenawi is one of the worst dictators in Africa. He is responsible for the death and missing of thousands of innocent Ethiopians.. He done nothing for our beloved country. He took away our rights and freedoms in the pretext of protecting a constitution. I will advise this article writer to go and see the reality of life in Ethiopian in depth. yea we know he built several universities. The reality is he killed the qulities of eduacation in Ethiopia. We can mention thousand of wrong doing of PM Meles Zenawi.

There are somethings the writer oesn't seem to know about Ethiopia, that made him try to be 'fair' to our prime minister, whose evil natur, words have no power to explain.

1.The low salary to MPs as compared to Kenya ( $ 3240) is still a big salary as compaed to what other civil servants get. and secondly most of the MPs that represent the rulling party have not even completed highschool, and can noteven dream of gettig $3240 plus other benefits. Tha might explan why in thelast 18 years no MP who is also a member of the rlling party has ever voted ney on any single artile in a legistlation proposed by the PM.

2. The low cime rate in Ethiopia does not have any thing to do with the current government. It is due to the thousands of years old strong culture and religious devotion we Ethiopians have. The poor in Ethiopia would rather go hungry than touch anything that is not rightfully his/her property.

I suspect that the west is deparate to get something good t talk about s allies n the war against terror. And one other destortion of truth, the jihadists in Somalia wage Jihad on Ethiopia only after Meles invaded Somalia to divert the world's attention from the crimeshe was committng in the aftermath of the may 2005 election. And it might have appeared right to the writer of the article to reffer to the outcome of that ellection as 'contested'. well, guess wht, even Meles knows in his heart tha he has lost his party has lost that ellection. He also knows that he does not deserve even to be member of parliament, as in that ellection, he di not run against any one, as no oppositon memer was allowed to run against him in the detrict he is 'rpresenting' in The parlament.
Well, the west can go on wrking with dictators for its own ends, but please, please, do not tell us how good our 'rullers' and opperessors' are for us, and how we could not have fed ourselves had it not been to them. Even the communist Mengistu could have built all the schools and highways that Meles bult if he had half the financial support Mles is getting from the west now.
And Meles asking the west to pay 40 Billion for poluting Africa, or comething like that...funny, he knows what is OK to blame the west for, nd ho to appear as an advocate for Africa. Well If the west really wants to help Africa, Stop supporting dictators and giving them unfair advantages over their oppositions.

Dear all,
Thank you for touching the things in Ethiopia superficially.
Did you read the Human Rights report 2008 by the USA government?
What about the Genocide watch and Amnesty International etc reports?
Can the Internstional Red Cross visit all parts of Ethiopia, including all prisons and the Ogaden region and some parts of Oromia?
Please, try to get the reality from other NGOs and CSOs also.
All Ethiopians and Tigres know the reality.

Thank you for enlightening us of what PM Meles is. He is working amongst the great majority of the Ethiopian people of diverse nationality. He is loved and the younger generation is trying to emulate his unflinching dedication to his people. Those ego driven individuals who are against the progress and development of the country will continuously bad mouth our great leader. PM Meles is the reflection of the Ethiopian people who are diligently working to make poverty history.
Individuals and organizations who are hell bent on simply seizing power echo the victim attitude. The few that are power hungry undermine the great foundation that has been laid to bring prosperity to the country. Few are indulging to derail the infant democracy in Ethiopia. Some opposition is still trying to seek sympathy from everywhere. However, the Ethiopian people have moved forward and are doing wonders in the Health, Education, and Agriculture etc. It is only through a focused and intentional strategy towards development that Ethiopia is going forward.
PM Meles Zenawi is the quintessence of the many Ethiopians of diverse nationality. He is the heart and soul of the brave Ethiopians, making transformation in every sector of the country. He is a paradigm pioneer that is standing out making Ethiopia and its leadership exemplary.
He is indeed asked to stay five more years because by 2015 Ethiopia has intended to make poverty history. I pray that he stay five more years because at the end of the day it is a great plus for the enrichment of Ethiopia and its democracy.

It appears you only showed a side of Meles and not the other. Why is it you failed to even mention corruption [that Meles's ethnic party and his wife run corrupt businesses in the country and that The Independent [May 16, 2006] had reported "Third World cash exodus 'points to laundering'" and that inflows from Ethiopia rose 103% or the fact that nearly all army posts are filled by members of Meles's ethnic group? You also seem unaware of "secret renditions" that he was party to and that tortured Kenyans recently recounted.

I could not believe my eyes when I read the concluding line either: "He seems likely, in whatever guise, to call the shots—with decreasing dissent"? "with decreasing dissent?" You must be joking or else your reporter in Addis must have been paid to say that. This is NOT the Economist I had in mind.

It always surprises me to find people like DavidMamo whom I always never fail to encounter on articles about Meles or the Party (whom somebody once better referred as "para-military organization") trumpeting the astuteness and leadership of the 'dear' leader. To begin any person who has read the article half-way would understand more what the issues are than blind supporters like Davidmamo and his likes. True, Meles has done some commendable things, but so did Mengistu (Literacy Campaign). Point is, he is leading the country like a dictator and crushing dissent and opposition, stifling the press, imprisoning human rights workers, killing opposition supporters.
Please let Ethiopians speak for themselves, if they are blessed to have him? Why can't he let a little bit of space for the press to flourish and the opposition to stand for election on a fair and free manner. Four years after the disputed elections of 2005, Meles is busy removing any thing with the potential to derail the re-election of his party and his dream of leading Ethiopia to the next 50 years (through him or his proxies).

What about the massive control his party's 'endowments' have on the frail business infrastructure, from the banks to the factories, Meles' party controls the major businesses in the country. While crushing the small businesses that dare to compete, and benefiting from the tailor-made laws that the party's loyalists pass through the parliament without even understanding the contents of it.

OH please, if you think your North Korean style of 'our dear beloved leader' commendatory can fool the readership here. For Ethiopians know what they live under. At least have the decency to criticize him where he fails even if you might think he is the smartest person on the planet.

Mr. Meles is a very astute economist and politician. Of course, there are a lot of people who hate him and would go for his head but the fact is, Ethiopia is blessed to have a leader like him. There are several sectors that improved since he came to power. Education being the top achievement, road and infrastructure, health care and peace (relative). Nations and Nationalities now administer themselves.
The opposition need to learn to fight based on facts on the ground. Opposition based on just hate would be futile and will have no destiny.

One would expect The Economist to write something deeper and substanciative, but here it goes,
"He seems paranoid and insecure but we don't know why", and "He also seems a dictator concerned about the poor on the surface"... well, he is African dictator and he speaks English- good enough for us!
I say The Economist tried hard to groom one of the worst dictators in the world

You may add that Etiopian towns and cities now receive electricity only every other day, leaving the business sector working at half steam, and that the reason for low mobile-phone ownership is a poorly working government monopoly on telecoms, among many other areas of economic activity.